Patricia McCormick and Ellen Hopkins say sex in books is not pornography

June 24, 2024

Patricia McCormick and Ellen Hopkins say sex in books is not pornography

Two of America’s greatest authors, whose books have been banned hundreds of times from Iowa public schools for sexual depictions, say such descriptions are sometimes necessary to tell a story, but that doesn’t make them pornographic.

Award-winning authors Patricia McCormick and Ellen Hopkins spoke out about the need for books to tell diverse stories in the wake of the Des Moines Register’s exclusive report showing that nearly 3,400 books have been removed from Iowa’s 325 public schools as a result of sweeping education legislation, Senate File 496.

The registry’s findings show that about 1,200 books were removed from shelves after a federal court injunction struck down parts of the law.

Iowa’s fight over the book ban: How public schools removed thousands of books from circulation because of a new law

Hopkins and McCormick made the Register’s list of the ten most banned authors, and their novels are on the Register’s list of the ten most banned books.

The law bans most books depicting or describing sexual acts from schools and requires schools to provide students with age-appropriate materials. It also restricts instruction and curriculum on gender identity and sexual orientation until sixth grade.

Republicans in Iowa have long argued that Senate Bill 496 is necessary to give families more control over their children’s education.

Among the books that were frequently removed from the curriculum was McCormick’s 2006 novel “Sold,” which was removed from Iowa schools 62 times. The novel tells the story of 13-year-old Lakshmi, who is sold into prostitution by her stepfather.

The fictional report – written after years of research – contains several allusions and scenes depicting sex.

“One of the things that really confuses me is when people hold up this book and say, ‘This is pornography,'” McCormick told the Register. “If you think that depicting the rape of a 13-year-old girl is pornography, then I just don’t know what to tell you.”

Hopkins expressed similar views regarding the uproar surrounding her 2004 novel “Crank” – which was withdrawn 49 times from Iowa schools – which is loosely based on her own daughter’s struggle with addiction.

The book of poetry tells the story of Kristina “Bree” Snow and her descent into addiction. The book includes scenes in which Kristina is raped by a drug dealer and another in which the teenager consents to sex with her boyfriend.

“My daughter was raped by a drug dealer and I wanted young people to know that this can happen if you knowingly put yourself in the company of a drug dealer, because it did happen,” Hopkins said.

Related: Consequences of the book ban in Iowa: 3,400 books withdrawn, including “1984” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”

She said the rape scene was read aloud at school board meetings across the country and posted on websites without any context by opponents who believed the scene was inappropriate for children.

“That rape scene is a difficult scene, but it’s written for a wider audience,” Hopkins said. “It’s not meant to be arousing. There are no descriptions of body parts, you know what I mean? It’s hard to read, but that’s what it’s meant to be.”

Sex in books is being examined

Published books go through a review process involving editors and a publisher, McCormick said. Even classics like Harper Lee’s award-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird” — which includes a description of an alleged rape — have been reviewed.

In the book, Tom Robinson, a black man, is falsely accused of sexually assaulting 19-year-old white woman Mayella Ewell. The book was removed from an Iowa school due to the state’s book ban law.

Content that mentions sex online rarely receives the same scrutiny, she said.

From 2023: “I didn’t write it to excite a reader”: Authors of books banned in Iowa speak out

“To Kill a Mockingbird” would have been a very different book if Lee had not mentioned details of the alleged assault, she said.

“Even though it’s done so sensitively, I don’t think a young reader will be surprised by the language in this book, and that’s absolutely important,” McCormick said. “Black men – by the thousands – have been falsely accused of rape, and that’s what sets the story in motion. It just wouldn’t be the same story if people had tried to sugarcoat it in some way.”

Books without sex are forbidden

Both authors are concerned because books that do not feature sex but do feature LGBTQ+ characters – such as the popular children’s book Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot by Dav Pilkey – are also affected by the bans. The book contains a gay character but no depictions of sex.

“I always use that in my speeches,” McCormick said. “I always say, ‘Hey, this book (‘Sold’) is not Captain Underpants,’ and use it as an example of light-hearted fare that kids read.”

What materials would be suitable for use in schools if a book like Captain Underpants could be challenged, she asked.

“Teachers already have such a hard job and they don’t get enough pay or respect for it,” McCormick said. “… No wonder they’re reducing their curricula to the point where they’re completely inoffensive.”

Hopkins believes that banning books featuring the LGBTQ+ community is part of a larger political movement aimed at raising uninformed children and pushing people back into hiding.

“This is not about protecting children,” she said. “This is a movement to seize power, to cripple or eliminate public education, to erase (LGBTQ+) populations.”

So many young LGBTQ+ people have taken their own lives because they did not believe they could live authentic lives, she said.

“We must not allow the progress we have made in this area of enabling children to be who they are and to accept themselves as they are to be undone,” Hopkins said.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or on Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

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